Drilling and production hoist



June 26, 1934. A. H. BELL DRILLING AND PRODUCTIQN HOIST Filed Sept. 11, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A IQXCEUWQ W B Z 7 Patented June 26, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE q Application September 11, 1931, Serial No. 562,229

6 Claims.

Hoists are extensively used about an oil well, and the ease with which the hoisting operations can be controlled has a large part in the success With which speedy drilling is carried on. Here- T tofore, a number of different types of hoists have been employed, some of which were not adapted to be used after the well had come into production.

A type of hoist is that known as a sand reel,

1 this reel having been located on the derrick walk and driven from the band wheel by friction or by a driving chain. Another mechanism which has been used as equipment during the drilling of the Well is known as a calf wheel. This hoist is that part of a cable too-l rig which is used for handling casing. After the well has come into production, it is customary to put into operation a hoist which is commonly termed a production hoist; and this hoist is used to perform the duty :20. of handling rods and tubing.

I have provided a combination drilling and production hoist embodying mechanism which is arranged so that the functions of the sand reel, the calf wheel and the production hoist may be '2 efiiciently carried out by the one apparatus herein disclosed. It is the usual arrangement in con- 'nection with a derrick to direct the sand line about a sand line pulley rotatably mounted in the derrick crown. The sand line then extends 30. down to the sand reel. During drilling opera- I also provide a clutch so that the sand reel may be either driven or released.

Below the sand reel shaft I provide a second shaft which is connected by suitable driving connections to the upper shaft. On this lower shaft I mount a winding drum which is adapted to perform the duties now taken care of by the calf wheel and which is furthermore capable of handling rods and tubes so as to be used for the purposes for which the production hoist is now employed. It is not always desirable to drive both winding drums at the same time; and accordingly, I provide a clutch for controlling the driving connections between the upper shaft and the lower drum so that the lower drum may be released, if desired.

Certain advantages of my improved construction will be pointed out below, as a fuller disclo-- sure of the details of my improved construction will make more apparent the advantages which are inherent therein.

While the broad principles of my invention may be embodied in a variety of diiferent constructions, and it is to be understood that my invention is not limited to the particular construction described in detail in this application, I have shown in the drawings, for purposes of illustration, one embodiment which my invention may assume. In these drawings,

Fig. 1 is a view in elevation of a combination drilling and production hoist embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation of the hoisting mechanism shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a view showing in detail the mechanism for actuating a brakeband applied to the upper winding drum, some of the other mechanism of the hoist being shown more or less diagrammatically.

As a supporting structure for the hoist, I pro- 7 vide a vertical frame which may be rigidly se cured at one side of a derrick floor '7. One of the posts of the derrick is indicated at 8. The vertical frame comprises a pair of uprights, such as posts 10 and 11, which may be secured by bolts or the like to the derrick structure. The upper ends of the uprights 10 and 11 are secured to a transversely extending headboard 12. This headboard may be an integral part of the derrick; and is secured to the posts of the derrick of which one is illustrated at 8.

Bearings 14 and 15 are secured to the posts 10 and 11 for rotatably supporting an upper shaft 16 which is designated herein as the sand reel shaft. Bearings 18 and 19 are likewise secured to the uprights 10 and 11; and a lower shaft 20 is rotatably mounted in these bearings. This lower shaft is designated herein as the calf wheel shaft.

To the upper or sand reel shaft are secured a plurality of clutch controlled driving sprockets, whereby the sand reel shaft may be driven at any one of a plurality of speeds selectively. In the embodiment shown, I mount freely on the shaft 16 a large driving sprocket 22 and a small driving sprocket 23. These sprockets are provided on their adjacent faces with clutch teeth or jaws, and between'them is mounted a slidable clutch member 24 having corresponding teeth or jaws. A clutch shipper 25 is pivoted at 26 and is operatively' connected to the member 24 so that either the 110 sprocket 22 or the sprocket23 may be clutched to the shaft 16. ,A lever 28 is pivoted at 29 on the upright 11, the upper end of this lever being connected by a link 30 to the upper end of the clutch shipper 25. Means are provided at 31 for temporarily holding the lever 28 after it has been shifted to a desired position.

Driving connections are also provided, operatively connecting the shaft 20 with the shaft 16. In the embodiment of my invention shown in Fig. 1, a sprocket 33 is secured to the shaft 16, and a larger sprocket 34 is mounted on the shaft 20. It is apparent, therefore, that the speed at which the shaft 16 is driven may be varied, and that whenever the shaft 16 is driven, the sprocket 34 is also driven.

On the upper shaft 16 I have mounted a winding drum 37, which is herein designated as the sand reel. A cat head 39 is secured to an end of the shaft 16 which projects beyond the bearing 14. This cat head, of course, rotates with the shaft 16 and is driven whenever the clutch member 24 is engaged with either the sprocket 22 or the sprocket 23. On the lower shaft 20 I have mounted a winding drum 38 which is herein designated as the calf wheel. In order that the winding drums on the two shafts need not be driven at all times that the sprockets are being rotated, 1 have provided a pair of clutches, one for controlling each of the winding drums 37 and 38. The winding drum 37 is rotatable relative to the shaft 16, and may be engaged by a clutch 40, so as to be driven through clutch member 24 and one of the sprockets 22 or 23. I provide mechanism for shifting the clutch 40, this mechanism comprising a shipper member 41 fulcrumed at 42 and actuated by link mechanism which, in turn, is actuated by a pedal 43 (see Fig. 2). The pedal 43 is secured to a rock shaft 44 having a crank 45 pivotally connected to the lower end of a link 46. In the embodiment shown in Fig. 1, the link 46 is in two sections, the lower of which extends upward-1y outside the flanges of the post 11, and the upper section of which extends upwardly within the recess provided by the flanges of the post 11. The adjacent portions of the two sections are suitably shaped to meet and are secured together at 48. The upper end of the upper section is pivoted at 49 to a bell crank lever 50 pivoted at 51 to the post 11. The other arm 52 of the bell crank lever 50 extends upwardly, and is pivoted to a link 53 pivotally connected at 54 to the shipper member 41. A spring 55 tends to pull the shipper member 41 in a direction to disengage the clutch 40.

The sprocket 34 is rotatable relative to the shaft 20; while the winding drum or calf wheel 38 is secured to the shaft 20. A clutch 58 is provided on the calf wheel shaft 20 for engaging clutch teeth on the sprocket 34. By means of the clutch 58, the winding drum 38 may be driven from the sand reel shaft or may be released. The embodiment shown is but one mode of accomplishing the desired result; and it is to be understood that the arrangement of the clutch 58 may be changed so that the sprocket 34 is secured to the shaft 20, and the drum 38 is freely mounted on the shaft 20, being clutched thereto when it is desired to drive the same. The embodiment shown in Fig. 1 is the preferred embodiment, since the shaft 20 need not be driven when the calf wheel is idle.

In order to shift the clutch 58, I have provided a clutch shipper 59 pivoted at 60 to a bracket on the frame. To the lower end of the shipper member 59, I connect a link 61 which is pivofi y connected also to a crank 62 depending from a pedal 63. This pedal is pivotally mounted coaxially with and adjacent to the rock shaft 44. One manner of mounting this pedal is to journal the same on an extension of the rock shaft 44. A spring 64 is connected to the link 61 and tends to release the clutch 58. It is not generally necessary to drive both winding drums at the same time; but by disposing the pedals 43 and 63 adjacent each other, the operator may conveniently apply both the clutch 40 and the clutch 58. Moreover, it simplifies the operation of the hoisting mechanism to have the two pedals 43 and 63 adjacent each other, so that as one is released, the other may be applied.

I have provided braking mechanism for each of the winding drums. It is sometimes desirable to apply considerable braking force to the calf wheel 38 and, accordingly, I provide a brake flange at each end of this drum. A brake band 65 surrounds each brake flange, one end of each band being pivoted to equalizing mechanism. This equalizing mechanism takes the form herein of an equal zer bar 66 pivoted intermediate its ends to a fulcrum pin 67 securely mounted in a suitable support such as the base frame 68. An adjustable connection 69 is pivoted to the end of each band 65, each connection being pivotally mounted on a pin '70 in the end of the equalizer bar 66. The other end of each of the brake bands 65 is connected to a crank of a crank shaft '71 which is rotatably supported by the base frame 68. A lever '72 is provided for actuating the crank shaft '71; and this lever is provided with a forked end 73 so that a weight may be hung therefrom to apply the desired braking force.

The upper drum or sand reel 37 is provided with a brake flange '75 which is surrounded by a brake band 76. One end of this brake band is anchored to the headboard at '78 and the other end is connected by a turn buckle 79 or the like to a crank 80 of a crank shaft 81. This crank shaft 81 extends transversely of the frame along the lower portion of the headboard. Its outer end carries a crank 82 which is connected by a link 83 with suitable operating mechanism. This operating mechanism takes the form in the embodiment shown of a lever 85 provided with a crank 86 connected to the lower end of the link 83. In accordance with this arrangement, the crank shaft 81 is disposed adjacent the lower portion of the headboard and the link 83 extends vertically along one of the uprights of the frame. It is apparent,therefore,that the actuating mechanism for the brake band 76 makes the operation of the brake band easy, while, at the same time, the parts are not in the way of the operation of the hoist.

In case it is desired to wind in the sand line, the clutch 24 may be engaged with one or the other of the sprockets 22 or 23. By pressing the pedal 43, the sand reel is clutched to the shaft 16 and is rotated to wind in the sand line. In order that the sand line shall not come in contact with the derrick structure, the hoist is to be placed to one side of the center of the derrick. This means that the sand line extending from the sand line pulley in the derrick crown will not reel in evenly, if provision is not made for this lack of alinement. In order to give the sand line the best possible opportunity to spool properly, I have arranged the shaft 16 at a slight angle to the horizontal. This places the shaft 16 at substantially a 90 angle to the direction of the sand line as it extends to the sand line pulley in the derrick crown. The angle at which the shaft 16 is disposed is generally a small angle, the inclination shown in Fig. 1 being the amount which is now considered to be the most suitable for the average derrick construction.

The operation of the drum 38 may be readily controlled by an operator stationed adjacent the upright or post 11. The lever 28 may be manipulated to engage the clutch 24 with either the sprocket 22 or the sprocket 23; and the shaft 16 will be driven at the corresponding speed. By depressing the pedal 63, the clutch 58 connects the winding drum 38 so as to be driven from the sand reel shaft 16. As above described, the lever 72 may be loaded with a Weight which gives the proper braking effect when cable is being paid out from the drum 38. This lever 72 is adjacent the operators station and, therefore, he may manually apply a greater or less braking effect if he sees that such is required.

My improved hoist is compactly arranged, and the sand reel is in position for winding in the line without interfering with other operations being carried on, such as the winding in or paying out of cable from the wheel 38. It will be readily understood that this combination is arranged to perform the functions of three units now in use, namely, a sand reel, a calf wheel and a production hoist. This eliminates the necessity for the conventional sand reel, band wheel, band wheel house and walk.

While I have illustrated and described one specific form of drilling and production hoist, it will be understood that the invention is not restricted to the particular construction shown, but may be variously modified Within the contemplation of the invention and under the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a hoisting mechanism, a frame adapted to be secured at one side of a derrick floor, a sand reel shaft rotatably mounted on said frame at an angle to the horizontal whereby said shaft may be placed at right angles to a cable extending upwardly to a point offset from said mechanism, a sand reel rotatably mounted on said shaft, and means for driving said shaft.

2. In a combination drilling and production hoist, a frame adapted to be secured at one side of a derrick floor, said frame including spaced uprights, a sand reel shaft journaled on said uprights at an angle to the horizontal whereby said shaft may be placed at right angles to a cable extending upwardly to a point offset from said mechanism, a sand reel rotatably mounted on said shaft, and driving connections for driving the sand reel shaft at any one of a plurality of speeds selectively.

3. In a combination drilling and production hoist, a vertical frame adapted to be secured at one side of a derrick floor, said frame including spaced uprights, a sand reel shaft journaled on said uprights at an angle to the horizontal, a calf wheel shaft journaled on said uprights below the sand reel shaft, a sand reel on the sand reel shaft, a calf wheel on the calf Wheel shaft, driving connections for driving the sand reel shaft at any one of a plurality of speeds selectively, and clutch controlled driving connections for driving the calf wheel from the sand reel shaft.

4. In a hoisting mechanism, a vertical frame including spaced uprights and a transversely extending headboard, a shaft journaled on said uprights, a drum on said shaft, said drum having an annular brake engaging surface, a brake band surrounding said surface, the ends of said band being anchored to the. headboard, and a crank shaft extending transversely along the lower portion of the headboard, said crank shaft having a crank operatively connected to the band to actuate the same.

5. In a hoisting mechanism, a vertical frame including spaced uprights and a transversely extending headboard, a shaft journaled on said uprights, a drum on said shaft, said drum having an annular brake engaging surface, a brake! band surrounding said surface, the ends of said band being anchored to the headboard, and mechanism operatively connected to the band to actuate the same comprising a transversely extending crank shaft carried by the lower portion of the headboard and rotatable relative thereto, said crank shaft having a crank operatively connected to the band, a link extending vertically beside an upright for rocking said crank shaft and means for reciprocating said link.

6. In a hoisting mechanism, a frame adapted to be secured at one side of a derrick fioor, a sand reel shaft rotatably mounted on said frame, a sand reel on said shaft, and means for driving said shaft, said sand reel shaft having a winding-on surface inclined to the horizontal to position it at right angles to a cable extending upwardly to a point offset axially to said sand reel.

ALEXANDER H. BELL. 

